COLLEGE AWARDED EXTENSION OF ACCREDITATION

Old Dominion University's College of Business and Public Administration recently was awarded extension of accreditation from the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business. AACSB is the longest-serving and largest global accreditation body for business schools that offer undergraduate, master's and doctoral degrees in business and accounting. The extension of accreditation was achieved following recommendations by the AACSB Peer Review Team, Maintenance of Accreditation Committee and Board of Directors.

Currently, 554 U.S. institutions with both undergraduate and graduate programs are accredited in business. ODU has the distinction of being among the 168 institutions that have additional specialized accreditation for their accounting programs.

Earning accreditation is a three-to-seven-year process in which a business school undergoes meticulous internal review, evaluation and adjustment. During this period, the school develops an implements a plan to help it meet the 21 rigorous AACSB standards, which require a high-quality teaching environment, a commitment to continuous improvement and curricula responsive to the needs of business.

According to Nancy Bagranoff, dean of ODU's College of Business and Public Administration maintaining accreditation validates the hard work of both faculty and students. "It's like a seal of approval that your school is at a certain quality level," she said.

ODU offers a Bachelor of Science degree with nine undergraduate majors, including a new major in maritime and supply chain management, as well as a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics. Master's-level programs include the Master of Business Administration, Master of Science in accounting, Master of Arts in economics, Master of Science in computer science, Master of Urban Studies and the Master of Public Administration, which is accredited by the National Association of Schools of Public Affairs and Administration. In addition, the college offers Ph.D. programs in business administration, with concentrations in finance and marketing, and public administration and urban policy.

More information about ODU's College of Business and Public Administration is available online at www.odu.edu. More information about AACSB can be found at www.aacsb.edu.